A total of 45 fire fighters were at the scene of a fire which completely destroyed two houses in Co Antrim overnight. The blaze has been described by police as ‘accidental’.
NIFRS received over 300 calls and attended 151 incidents on the Eleventh night.
Of the calls, 54 were related to bonfires.
Firefighters hosing down houses at Roden Street in Belfast as a bonfire burns (Liam McBurney/PA)
Fire fighters attended a fire at a row of terraced houses and a shed in Greenisland. They said two homes have been ‘completely destroyed.’
A NIFRS spokesperson said: “At the height of the incident the fire involved a number of properties in a row of houses, several oil tanks and a shed.
“NIFRS had 45 firefighting personnel on scene, 6 pumping appliances, a Command Support Unit and an Aerial ladder. 5 Firefighting jets were in use alongside an aerial water tower.
“Some residents had to be evacuated from their properties, and our thoughts are with those who have been affected.”
The PSNI said the blazes in the Knockleigh Walk area have now been deemed as accidental.
A PSNI spokesperson said: “The report for assistance was made to police at approximately 12.20am this morning, Sunday 12th July.
“The fire has been deemed as accidental at this time.”
An Alliance East Antrim MLA has expressed his deepest sympathies to the families whose homes were burned down.
Stewart Dickson said: “Thankfully, no one was hurt or injured; however, this has been an extremely distressing situation for the entire community in Greenisland, in which I live, and what we need now is a full and thorough investigation into exactly what caused this fire.”
Elsewhere in Belfast, a garage was on fire on Milner Street due to spread from a nearby bonfire.
Meanwhile, firefighters had to withdraw from a bonfire in Cookstown due to a hostile crowd.
A member of the fire service hoses down an apartment building close to the Loyalist Corcrain Redmanville bonfire in Portadown (Liam McBurney/PA)
NIFRS Area Commander Dermot Rooney said: “Thank you to our Firefighters, Regional Control Centre personnel and Support employees for their professionalism and dedication in ensuring we continued to deliver an effective emergency response during this demanding operational period.
“With further bonfires planned, we are prepared and ready to respond to all types of emergencies. We would encourage everyone to stay safe and make responsible choices throughout the remainder of the bank holiday weekend. With warm, dry weather continuing, we also ask anyone spending time outdoors to follow our countryside fire safety advice.”